


The Recorder

by Wickedrider98



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: A little canon compliant, Canon-typical Peter, Canon-typical Peter being an ass, Fluff, Gen, Jon bonds with a semi-inanimate object, Not Beta'd, Not really though, au where jon has a friend, canon-typical unplanned bone removal, canon-typical weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-12-26 01:44:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18273266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wickedrider98/pseuds/Wickedrider98
Summary: When Elias gifts Jon a strange pet, it takes a while for the two to bond.





	1. A Strange Present

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on an idea a friend had where Elias gifts Jon a tape recorder, saying that he's ready for a "pet". Jon doesn't believe him at first, but then he finds it surfacing in different places and he starts to bond to it the way someone would a dog and I had a lot of feelings about it.

Chapter 1  
Jon had never been one for birthdays, specifically his. Georgie had made a big deal of it when they were dating, but since then he hadn't even bothered to put it on the Google Calendar Martin had created back when they had first started in the Archives. Especially now, as becoming the Avatar of an Eldritch fear god didn't exactly put one in a festive mood, he certainly wasn't planning on treating today any differently than any other. Which was why he found it strange when he opened his office door to find Elias seated in his desk chair, a small box sitting on the desk in front of him.  
“Elias,” Jon said with an edge, “can I help you?”  
“Jon,” The Head of the Institute smiled, “I understand that you have a birthday today.”  
“How did you..?” Jon stopped. He already knew the answer to his question.  
“Anyway,” Elias continued, “I thought it was only right to give you a present. I think you're ready for some adult responsibilities now, and this will keep you busy.”  
Jon tried not to glare down his boss.  
“Go on, open it.”  
Jon glanced at the box next to his boss. It was white and about the size of a tissue box. Large holes were poked into one side of it, and a huge green bow was placed on top. He sighed, removed the bow, opened the box, and peered in.  
“Is this your version of a joke Elias?” Jon growled, removing a tape recorder from the box.  
“Have I ever been one to joke?”  
Jon lifted the device out of its box and examined it. Other than looking a bit newer, the recorder didn't look any different than the ones he used in the Archives. The ones he could make surface out of nothing.  
“So… what's the point of this then?” he asked.  
“You seemed lonely, and I thought you could use a pet.”  
Jon let out a short, mocking laugh.  
“And you thought a tape recorder was the best thing to go with? Am I really that unreliable to you, that you think I can't care for a real animal?”  
“Yes.” Elias responded, “If I'm being honest, I barely trust you with that. But that isn't the point. Just keep it for a day and see what happens.”  
Jon groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
“Fine,” he muttered, “whatever will get you out of here faster.”  
Elias nodded.  
“Very well,” he stood and moved to exit, “I have scheduling to do as it stands. Happy birthday Jon.”  
“Shove off.”  
The door creaked shut behind him, leaving Jon alone with his new… pet. Just keep it for a day and see what happens, Elias's words rang in his head. He shoved the recorder back in the box and placed it on top of a chair.  
“Well Elias,” he muttered, “if you're done with your nonsense I have work to get done.”  
He settled at his desk and grabbed the nearest statement and a tape recorder.  
***  
Jon looked up at the clock on his desk. 8pm. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He hadn't meant to stay this late, but the statements had called to him, urging him to keep recording. He grabbed his laptop and tossed it into his bag before going to grab his coat. As he went to leave he passed the box, still in its spot on the chair. Just leave it, he told himself, it's not like you owe it to Elias to take it. And how do I know it isn't some way for Elias to spy on me?  
Against his better judgement, he peered into the box, and was surprised to find it empty.  
“What the..?”  
His eyes flicked around his office. Martin, Tim, and Melanie had been in and out of his space all day, but surely none of them cared enough to steal a tape recorder? Maybe one of them grabbed it thinking it was one of the Institute's?  
He dropped his bag on his desk and ducked out to check the tops of their desks. When his search proved unsuccessful, he shrugged.  
“I don't even know why I care enough to look,” he said into the empty space. The Archivist rolled his eyes and wandered back into his office. As he went to go grab his laptop bag he was surprised to find the recorder, perched on top of the case. He picked the device up, and heard a soft whirring noise that reminded him of The Admiral's purr.  
“Alright, you win.”  
He shoved it in his pocket and left for the night.  
***


	2. Home Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon and his new pet start to bond

When Jon made it back to his flat, he decided to leave the recorder where it was and make some dinner. After putting some pasta on, he settled down on his couch and flicked on Netflix. Jon was only a few minutes in to his nature documentary when he felt something brush against his leg. He looked down to find the tape recorder nestled against his thigh, the whirring sound was even louder than it had been at the Institute.   
“Lovely, Elias gifted me an inanimate object with an attitude.” Jon grumbled. He picked up the recorder, strode into his room, and shoved it into his closet before heading to the kitchen to check on his pasta. After putting his noodles into his bowl, he settled back down into his documentary. Jon didn't see the recorder for the rest of the night, not until he stumbled into his room to head to bed and found it laying on his pillow.   
“Would you leave me alone!?” he shouted, placing it in the living room and slamming his bedroom door. He flopped into bed and slept.   
***  
It was 3am when Jon woke up gasping for air after a nightmare of being consumed by the earth. He pulled himself into a sitting position and flicked on his bedside lamp. He wasn't even surprised to see his tape recorder sitting on his nightstand. He sighed and picked the black device.   
“You're a persistent one, aren't you?” the Archivist asked. The recorder's only response was the whirring.   
“Yeah. I thought so.” he chuckled, “look at me. Talking to a tape recorder like it's a human.”  
The steady whirring continued.   
“I suppose if you're my ‘pet’ you'll need a name,” Jon whispered, “I've never been the best at this, Georgie was the one who named The Admiral. Let's see. I guess ‘Fluffy’ wouldn't exactly work. I don't even know if you're Male or Female. Or if you even have a gender. Would you be against going by The Recorder? It's not the most original, but it's something.”  
The Recorder's whirring grew louder.   
“Excellent.”   
He set The Recorder back down on the nightstand and fell back asleep.


	3. Unwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could NOT think of a reason for giving a statement for the life of me, so I did my best

Chapter 3  
Over the next few days Jon began to grow somewhat used to The Recorder popping up in different spots. Perched on his bathroom sink when he got out of the shower, settled on his coffee table on nights he came home at a reasonable hour, but it seemed to love his bed the most. More often than not he would find it nestled in his sheets as he got ready for work, and sometimes would wake up to it on his chest. When he was at the Institute it usually stayed close to him, however he could sometimes find it in the library settled next to Basira. It loved her for some reason. Martin as well, Jon would often find it settled at his Assistant's desk while he worked. The Recorder had become a bit of a fixture in the Archives. It wasn't actually used for recording anything, but working in a place like the Archives everyone took their fun where they could get it. Though as time progressed, Jon began to notice it was beginning to move by itself less and less. A deep brown grime had begun to embed itself within any crevice it could find, the white text above the buttons had begun to fade, it began to look rundown. This worried Jon. He had tried cleaning it off after finding a tutorial online, but less than an hour later he would find it looking even more battered than it had when he'd begun.  
“I don't understand Recorder,” he sighed as he set the device down on his desk one day, “I give you all of the attention you need, and the others do as well. I've cleaned you, fixed you up. I don't get why you're looking so poor.”  
He glanced at where he'd set The Recorder down to find him gone.  
“Recorder?” he called out, “Recorder!”  
He began searching his office until he found it settled on a pile of statements.  
We don't use it to record, Jon realized, maybe it's… hungry.  
He grabbed the nearest folder and the Recorder and sat back down at his desk. He pressed it's ‘record’ button and read “Statement of Krista McGregor, regarding an encounter with an odd website. Original statement given 5 March 2015, audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. Statement begins…”  
He finished reading about twenty minutes later, and looked up to find The Recorder now looking as shiny and new as it had the day Elias had given it to him.  
“I see,” Jon mused, “you were just hungry.”  
The Recorder let out an enthusiastic whir. Jon chuckled.  
“I'll be sure to feed you more often.”  
***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter kids, next time we're going on a feels trip


	4. Unknowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This became *slightly* more canon compliant than I thought it would be

Chapter 4  
When it came time to leave to stop the Unknowing, Jon could tell it was less than thrilled that its owner was leaving on an apparent suicide mission. Jon toted it into his office the night before they left, to record his statement, and to explain what was happening to the object he had come to think of as his pet over the last few months.   
“Alright Recorder,” he began, “don't start just yet. I want to explain myself before I record anything the others may here.”  
The Recorder gave a short whir. It had been for the most part silent since talk of going to stop the Unknowing started, as if it knew what that meant for its master.   
“I'm going away for a bit. I'm going to leave you here with Martin, keep an eye on him. He'll need you once this starts. You have one of the most important jobs in his plan.”   
The Recorder gave a short whir again.   
“I know you're being this way because you're worried,” Jon responded, “but I promise, I won't be gone long. I'll come back.”  
He tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest. He didn't want to lie, but decided it was better than the alternative.   
“I'll be back before you know it,” he tried to sound enthusiastic, “and as soon as I get back I'll find you the best statement I can.”   
The Recorder whirred excitedly at the promise as the Archivist placed a hand on its black exterior. He gave a heavy sigh.   
“No use in beating around the bush,” he murmured, what do you say? One more statement before I go?”   
The Recorder clicked ‘play’ and Jon began.   
***


	5. Martin

Chapter 5  
Martin flicked through the files he had brought with him, occasionally he would reach over to hit the Recorder's button, but he would stop himself. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He wasn't sure if it would hurt Elias, he wasn't even sure if this would get his attention. But if it worked…  
He let out a deep breath.  
“We're going to get started Recorder.” he finally told the device, “let's hope this works.”  
The Recorder let out a short whir before Martin hit the button.  
“Are you listening?” he asked, “good.”  
***  
Martin tried to stop. He tried to regain control of himself. But the tears kept flowing, the sobs continued to rack his body. After Elias had left him, he found himself picking up The Recorder, clutching it to his chest tightly. It made the small purr-like sound he had only ever heard it make for Jon, and he felt a bit of comfort. When he heard the door creak open however he set it back down, worried Elias was back for more. Instead he turned to see Melanie.  
“Did you find anything?” he asked, wiping his tears and taking in a deep breath.  
“Yeah, I found,” she looked up with wide eyes, “Jesus. Are you okay?”  
“Do we have what we need?” Martin pressed.  
“I think so, he didn't even have a safe,” Melanie explained, just a few locked drawers. It was.. it was easy.”  
Martin took in another breath and picked up The Recorder, clutching it as he would a dog.  
“We need to leave.”  
“We need to kill him,” Melanie growled, look at you. He needs to die.”  
Martin shook his head.  
“No,” he replied, “No. I knew what this was gonna be.”  
“Not just for you! If we leave him alive-”  
“Melanie,” Martin cut her off, “Melanie please.”  
There was a long silence. Finally, Melanie let out a defeated sigh.  
“Alright. Let's get these somewhere safe.”  
Martin clicked The Recorder's button off and followed her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martin and Melanie's Dialogue taken from the transcript of Ep. 118- The Masquerade


	6. Recorder

Chapter 6  
The Recorder didn't understand. It didn't know why its Archivist was lying in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar stark white room. He had promised to find it the best statement he could when he returned, he promised he'd be back soon, so why was he just laying there? Despite its confusion it kept its silent vigil, seated on the nightstand next to the Archivist's bed. Hunger gnawed at its insides. Though it lacked a stomach, it knew that it couldn't go on sustaining itself in hospital gossip and chatter from visitors. The Beating Heart had brought it here after being used to make his statement which had offered some sustenance, but The Recorder hadn't seen him since. The Tea Maker had come almost every day for a spell, but the Recorder hadn't even seen him for at least two months. The Girl came occasionally, one time she even brought a cat, though The Recorder got the feeling it wasn't supposed to be there. Still, it had been a welcome change. The Girl had allowed The Recorder to sit on The Archivist's chest alongside her cat (The Admiral, it thought it had heard her call him?) both purring intently. But that had been weeks ago, and most of the time The Recorder was left alone with its Archivist. Despite everything that had happened, it knew that it definitely enjoyed this Archivist much more than the last. He treated it kinder than she ever had. She didn't take kindly to something given to her by the Beating Heart, she hadn't even given it a name. Not unless ‘The Beholding's Spy’ counted as one. It had seen many Archivists before her as well, and it was certain that the man who had been lying in bed next to it was the kindest. It hoped he would wake up, it wasn't ready to belong to The Reader just yet.  
***  
The Recorder didn't have blood, but when the End Avatar came in it felt something in it grow cold. It had felt other Entities’ presences during its stay, so that much was nothing new. The spider that had made its home in the corner closest the Archivist's bed that always seemed to disappear when someone tried to kill it suggested The Web was watching, and it had heard the call of the Lonely the last time The Tea Maker had come, with that strange sailor alongside him. But this was different. The End had no business here, the entity of death shouldn't be here. When the man began to speak to the Archivist's sleeping form, The Recorder was glad to have a good meal for the first time in months, but that didn't lessen its fear. When The Girl chased him out it was relieved. A few moments later, it heard its Master grasp and gave a small whir of excitement.  
The Archivist was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel very strongly about The Recorder only referring to Jon as The Archivist, so I figured it would give others similar names, like Elias is The Beating Heart, Basira is The Reader, etc.


	7. Comfort

Chapter 7  
Jon thought he was used to the nightmares after spending six months in them, but it didn't get any easier to be jolted awake in the early hours of the morning. Every night, around 3 o'clock or 4, he would find himself gasping for air, choking on the soil of his dreams. And tonight was no different. He slowly sat himself up and stared into the darkness of the supply closet. He'd taken up residence here again at Basira's recommendation, telling him the outside wasn't safe anymore. Jon sighed. He didn't know where was safe anymore. Not even his own mind was safe. The door was calling to him, and he knew in his heart he couldn't keep it closed forever. He just wanted to talk to someone, anyone. But Basira had made it clear she didn't trust him, Melanie had tried to kill him on sight, and Martin…  
A dull whir from down by his leg told him The Recorder was awake as well. He let out a small chuckle and lifted it into his lap. Ever since Jon had gotten out of the hospital he had let it sleep in bed with him. It was the only friend he had anymore, and even if it couldn't talk it listened to him well enough.  
“Did I wake you Recorder?” he asked.  
The Recorder whirred gently. He gave a small smile.  
“Sorry.” he murmured, “I didn't mean to.”  
There was a long silence.  
“I just...not that I don't appreciate you Recorder, but I wish they would talk to me. I understand why they wouldn't want to talk to a… to me, but it's just difficult. I've finally decided to trust those around me, and they've all left.”  
There was a long silence. Jon sighed. Now The Recorder wasn't even talking to him. He placed it back down by his sighed and settled back down to try and sleep. He'd finally started to drift off when he heard a familiar voice.  
“Hi Jon,” Martin's recorded voice said, “uh, how are you?”  
He sat back up and picked up The Recorder again. Jon was certain he'd gotten all of the tapes from while he was in the hospital, but he was sure he'd never heard this one before. He listened to Martin's shaky voice talking to him, and then to an unknown caller on his phone. Jon was so deeply focused on listening to the tape that he didn't even notice the tears freely falling until it reached the end and The Recorder clicked off. Despite the pain, he smiled. He hadn't even realised he could do that anymore. Jon picked up the tape recorder and hugged it to his chest.  
“Thank you.” he whispered. The Recorder let out the same purr like sound it had made when he'd first found it. Jon settled back down, this time with The Recorder settled right next to his face, and slowly fell back asleep.  
***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martin's (short) dialogue taken from the transcript of the S4 Trailer


	8. The Flesh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's shorter than I would've liked it to be, but I hate relying on the transcripts, it feels like I'm plagiarizing and I'm not a fan. If you'll notice I went back and added which episodes I took from the transcripts of after any chapter that it applied to, so...yeah...

Chapter 8  
The Recorder thought that once the Spiral took a new face it would stop feeling the guilt it still had from watching the last Archivist throw that poor Archival Assistant to it. But as the current Archivist navigated the long labyrinth of corridors with it clutched tightly in his hand, it couldn't shake the memory of his horrified face as he was thrown to the Entity. It stopped the ritual, sure, but that didn't stop the shame The Recorder felt from watching it happen. Its thoughts were interrupted by mumbling.   
“Did I?” the Archivist murmured, “no… I came from-”  
A squishing, squashing sound The Recorder could only assume were the footsteps of the Flesh stopped him. The thing that stood in front of them may have once been a human man, but now was an oozing, undulating pile of limbs, organs, and bones sticking out at awkward and unnatural angles.   
“J-Jared Hopworth?” the Archivist asked. The Boneturner smiled with too many teeth.   
“That's what it says on me license,” it responded, “mind you, the picture's a bit out of date.”  
The Recorder's unease during The Flesh Avatar's statement there would be static on the tape, but the Archivist wouldn't mind. Afterall, he created his own now as well. What he would probably mind however was the audible screech of The Recorder's tape as The Boneturner reached into The Archivist, causing him to cry out in pain. The rib it pulled out of him was oddly shaped, with deep divets in the white bone, confirming The Recorder's suspicions. The Eyes would find new nesting places inside, and The Archivist would be none the wiser. Currently however, he was hunched over, coughing and panting in an attempt to catch his breath.   
“I-if you walk that way,” he gasped, “I'm sure there'll be a door for you.”  
The sounds of cracking and squishing grew farther and farther away as the Archivist collapsed. The Recorder screamed and screamed to the best of its ability.   
***  
“Still alive?” asked the Spiral Avatar as she watched The Knife Wielder prod The Archivist. The Recorder was next to his unmoving body, still screaming.   
“Seems to be.” The Knife Wielder replied.   
“He's certainly holding a bone,” The Spiral confirmed, motioning to The Recorder she added, “and what's the problem with that thing?”   
“That's his pet,” she explained, “if you can call a somewhat sentient tape recorder that.”   
The Spiral Avatar hummed, watching the Archivist slowly woke up and dragged his body to a sitting position. The Recorder let out a relieved whir and was in his lap in an instant. As he questioned the two women about the details. Soon after, The Archivist was asleep on The Reader's cot, with The Recorder snoozing on his chest.   
***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helen, Melanie, Jared, and Jon's dialogue taken from the transcript of episode 131- Flesh


	9. The Hunter

Chapter 9  
The Buried's realm wasn't a place The Recorder enjoyed. But it was loyal to its Archivist, and it would see any mission he undertook through. And seeing as he had scooped up the black device and informed it that it was ‘coming with him’ it also didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Even though it was much smaller than The Archivist, The Recorder could feel the walls beginning to grow closer to them, constricting like a snake around its prey.  
“I'm not sure how long been,” The Archivist said into The Recorder, there are passages but it's close. I'm having some trouble, but I'm going the right way. I know it. I just need to keep moving, when I stop it s-starts to press on me.”  
He let out a grunt and continued. The Recorder whirred gently and moved closer.  
“Steady now Recorder, don't be nervous,” The Recorder could feel the Archivist's hands tighten around it, “we'll get out.”  
***  
“No, I know where we are. This is forever deep below creation. The weight of existence bears down. This is the Buried. And we are alive. There isn't even an up,” The Archivist whispered, genuine pain in his voice, “oh god, what have I done?”  
There was a long silence. The Recorder wasn't sure of what it could do to help. All it could see was the dark soil engulfing them, and it couldn't feel its connection to The Eye. It couldn't do anything. Not down here. It had failed its Archivist, and the Hunter he was trying to save.  
“Not alone though,” The Hunter finally broke the silence.  
“No, not alone.”  
The Recorder let out a strained purr. The Hunter gave a huff.  
“Still have that thing?” she asked.  
“It won't leave me.” The Archivist responded, “it's loyal to me, it seems.”  
There was another long silence.  
“Jon?”  
“Still here.”  
How quiet and labored his words were becoming made The Recorder nervous.  
“I want to talk.”  
The Recorder listened while The Hunter gave her statement in hushed, panicked tones, while being all too aware of the rumbling of The Buried slowly growing louder. When it finally came in full force, The Recorder could hear nothing but the sounds of The Archivist shouting and The Hunter struggling to breathe.  
“I'm sorry Jon,” she whispered, “I'm sorry.”  
As The Recorder clicked off it could feel the weight pressing down on it as well, to the point it thought it may end up crushed under the pressure. Well, it decided, if this truly was it for the device it wasn't going to waste it just standing by. It gathered up its last bit of energy. One last pull fo save its Archivist. Maybe it couldn't compel people in the way he could, but it had become adept at doing it to its own kind, whatever form it took. It wasn't sure the Eye could see them down here, or if it would listen, but it was worth a shot. With all of its might it tried to send message out into The Archives, to compel its siblings to come to them, to work as their anchor, to be what pulled them out. It could feel itself starting to give out as it begged The Eye to listen, just this one last time, when it heard The Archivist shout.  
“Daisy!” he called.  
“I'm- I'm here.”  
“I can feel it,” The Archivist said, “its closer, my anchor, a rib.”  
The Recorder let out an exhausted whir as The Archivist clutched it tighter and they started to move with somewhat renewed energy. When they finally made their way out of the Coffin, it saw a welcoming sight. Recorders, dozens of them, surrounding them and all playing statements. The Recorder gave thanks to its god. For once it had done what it asked. As the Archivist and the Hunter caught their breath, The Reader burst in.  
“Jon, you stupid idiot!” she exclaimed, what did you think-”  
She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of The Hunter, her brown eyes wide.  
“Hi.” The Hunter murmured.  
“Oh my God.”  
The Recorder whirred. For now, just this once, they had made it back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon, Daisy, and Basira's dialogue taken from the transcript of ep. 132- Entombed


	10. An Unexpected Run-In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a while since I updated, but in light of recent goings on it felt like the perfect time for an update! :-)

Chapter 10  
“I don’t know what Peter’s planning, my guess is that it might involve something below the Institute. Hopefully by the time you get theses tapes I’ll have something more concrete for you.” Martin took a deep breath, “good luck Jon. I-... stay safe.”  
He pressed the stop button on The Recorder.  
“Did you get all that? Even the bit with Elias?” He asked the device. It whirred in agreement. Martin put his hand on top of it and chuckled.  
“Good,” he murmured, “you have to make sure Jon gets that. I couldn’t get him Dekker’s without raising suspicion from Peter, but if he really is at that party we should be okay.”  
The Recorder gave him that familiar purring sound he’d only ever heard it d for Jon, and Martin smiled. He wasn’t sure if Jon had sent The Recorder himself or if it had come on its own accord, but regardless he was grateful for it. Peter had kept him so far away from any life, he was glad for the company. Even if it couldn’t respond. The Recorder gave a sharp whir, as if asking to return to its master.  
“Yeah,” Martin said, “get back to him. And keep him safe, will you? I don’t want you bringing me another tape of him doing something that stupid again. His bones need to stay in his body.”  
The Recorder gave an exasperated whir of agreement, It sounded just as tired of Jon’s antics as Martin was.  
“Goodbye Recorder, stay safe.”  
The device gave a whir as Martin settled back into his work. When he glanced back up The Recorder was gone, leaving him alone once again.  
***  
The Recorder had never been stopped from Traveling before. Not by The Beating Heart or The Archivist, and certainly not by any Avatar of any other Entity. Which is why it was so surprised when the Sea Captain reeking of The Lonely grabbed as it fled back to the Archives. His cold hand wrapped around its black exterior sent a shudder through its insides as he began to examine it.  
“So, this is The Archivist’s little friend?” He asked, carefully turning it in his hand, “not much to look at. Guess I can’t expect much from the same Entity that claimed the Archivist that doesn’t know how to Archive.”  
The Recorder gave an irritated whir. The Sea Captain could make fun of it, but no one was allowed to make fun of its Archivist. Except for maybe The Reader, and The Hunter. The Sea Captain hit The Recorder’s eject button, grabbing the tape The Tea Maker had made.  
“Best we don’t let this get back to Jon, don’t you think?” he asked, shoving the tape into his pocket, “now, go back to your Precious Archivist and keep away from Martin. We don’t need him finding out about The Extinction and doing what he did during The Unknowing.”  
The Sea Captain let go of the small device and it ran off as quick as it could, dashing back down to The Archives.  
***  
The Archivist was seated at his desk when it returned, surfacing on top of a pile of statements. The Archivist glanced up from his paperwork.  
“Oh! Hello Recorder,” He picked up the device and gave a small smirk, “where have you been all day? Reading with Basira I suppose.”  
The Recorder wished it had a voice of its own, rather than recording those of others. It needed to tell The Archivist what was happening, about The Extinction. But for now all it could do was watch, and wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martin's dialogue taken from MAG 138- The Architecture of Fear via tmatranscripts on tumblr


	11. Knowing

Chapter 11  
“Every other Avatar gets to have their feelings burned out of them, but me? I’ve just got to sit in mine,” The Archivist sighed, “I know he said he has everything under control. I need to trust him, whatever he’s doing Peter he… he knows what he’s doing. Probably. I just- I need him to be okay. I just do. If I knew what his plan was, if I knew what Peter was doing, if I just-”  
He stopped. The Recorder knew that look in his tired gray eyes, and it didn’t like it one bit. It was the same one he’d had before deciding to go after The Hunter.  
“Can I?”  
The Recorder could feel The Archivist’s static rumble deeply from inside of it, causing the machine to slowly begin to shake. It watched as its Archivist grabbed the table, sides heaving with pain as his breaths grew more and more labored. The static was unbearable now, groaning and meshing with new sounds of screeching tapes and high-pitched ringing. The Recorder couldn’t feel pain persay, but it knew whatever was going on was creating a feeling it wasn’t enjoying. It let out a strangled whir as The Archivist gasped for air.  
“Recording… ends.” He gasped. The Recorder stopped immediately, trying to regain its own composure as The Archivist began to force himself to stand. The Recorder felt helpless, watching his pain. It knew trying to see into other Entities’ plans was difficult enough, and after years working with both The Beating Heart and the Previous Archivist, The Sea Captain was practically a professional at hiding from The Eye. The Recorder tried to sense him as The Archivist straightened out and coughed but the only people of interest it could see were the Archival Assistants, and The Tea Maker. It had been a long time since The Recorder had seen The Sea Captain as it was, though it found that traveling around the Institute had grown more difficult, and traveling to The Tea Maker was impossible. It didn’t know what Peter had done to its Path, but it knew it wanted it to stop. Its Archivist needed to watch over his people, and The Recorder couldn’t assist him in that if it couldn’t leave The Archives without difficulty. It had a job to do, and it was going to complete it no matter what. After finally regaining his breath and returning to a state that could almost be described as normal, The Archivist grabbed the tape recorder and began to leave his office.  
“Come along Recorder,” there was a new level of determination in his voice, “we have research to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon's dialogue taken from MAG 139- Chosen via tmatranscripts on tumblr


End file.
